Synopsis

Following the foundation of the Galactic Empire after The Great Jedi Purge, Rogue One: A Star Wars Story follows a wayward band of Rebel fighters comes together to carry out a desperate mission: steal the plans for the original Death Star before it can be used to enforce the Emperor’s rule. The story takes place immediately before the very first Star Wars movie, A New Hope.

Heading the group of rebels who bravely take on the Emperor and his army is Jyn Erso, played by Felicity Jones. She is joined by rebel intelligence officer Cassian Andor (Diego Luna) and droid K-2SO (voiced by Alan Tudyk).

Actors Donnie Yen, Wen Jiang, Ben Mendelsohn, Guy Henry, Forest Whitaker, Riz Ahmed, Mads Mikkelsen and Jimmy Smits are also among the cast members who give life to characters who secretly set in motion the events of the beloved Star Wars franchise.

Based on a story by John Knoll and Gary Whitta, director Gareth Edwards worked with writers Chris Weitz and Tony Gilroy to produce the first standalone film for the Star Wars universe. In order to differentiate Rogue One: A Star Wars Story from the trilogies, some deviation from the franchise’s traditions were made.

The most notable deviation would be the lack of an opening crawl, which every previous Star Wars movie had included. Two of the most iconic characters of the first trilogy, Princess Leia and Darth Vader, are featured in the movie. Princess Leia was portrayed by actress Ingvild Deila (with CGI to make her look like a young Carrie Fisher), while actors Spencer Wilding and Daniel Naprous take turns playing Darth Vader, with actor James Earl Jones providing the voice.